Writings and Musings: Silence.

Writing is such a personal activity. To me writing is the equivalent to an exercise, an exercise for my brain. My brain is constantly working, thinking of ideas, of life or just plain daydreaming of things that may never happen, so I feel like it's on a treadmill of sorts, constantly getting its cardio on. When I'm writing however, the exercise is to focus, stop from going a mile a minute, turn the speed on the treadmill down, just walk. In this way I'm able to get my innermost thoughts onto the page and translated into a way in which I would want them perceived. 

This was a piece I compiled around two years ago, one day when I was bored and had given myself a topic of focus, "silence", and so I ran with it. Enjoy!

10 points if you know which poem the text on the image is from!

The night is so silent. Many are uncomfortable with the idea of silence, it haunts them, it’s something that is avoided, treated as a plague of some sorts. But to me, silence is necessary and can be a beautiful thing, rather than a mysterious figure that more times often than not haunts us in the wee hours of the night. 

I find it’s always there in those perfect moments when an amazing idea is ready to sprout. The printed word comes alive in these moments enveloped by silence. It’s perfect for those times used to ponder on a thought or conversation. It’s the sound of peace and relaxation that can comfort those who have been hounded with the many noises of the outside world. 

Rather than being regarded with a negative connotation I believe that silence should be viewed with the opposite. It can be a wondrous thing. It’s so pure and vacant, but not the empty and menacing kind. It's the kind that is full with complete sureness in itself, the kind that doesn’t need noise to overshadow itself. It’s perfectly naked and bare, able to expose itself, sure in itself and what its purpose is. Moments of silence are the only times that are not flooded with the constant jargon of daily conversation. Blocked out by speech and noises, often completely unnecessary at times. It is one of the only times where reflection and deep inward thinking can take place. No masks. No standards. No watchful eyes. The silence lets you just be. Be yourself.  Not having to answer to anyone. Not having to listen. Just having to be. And this is why silence is necessary.

The cultivation of ones self can occur in moments of silence. 

Staring up at the profoundness and vastness of the night sky and the entire galaxy as I ponder on the orbits of the planets and all of the other wondrous mysteries science has yet to uncover can occur in silence. Special moments occur within silence. Beautiful and simple every day tasks automatically turn into a relaxing and wondrous practice. Folding the laundry with nothing but the soft, buzzing of the refrigerator and furnace and the occasional creeks and ticks of the house in the background, make time seem almost stagnant. Breathing in and capturing the moment. You feel the silence envelope and take over your lungs and being as you inhale deeply.  You are filled with a stillness so great you are almost frozen in place.